Union ban on teacher training under fire

A ban by two teacher unions on members taking up online junior cycle reform training in their own time has been criticised by Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan.

She decided last week to start implementing final proposals that emerged from months of discussions about a revised assessment system, despite the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and Teachers’ Union of Ireland saying they wanted further negotiation.

Ms O’Sullivan announced that some of the continuous professional development for teachers would be rolled out through a new website, as she believed some of the unions’ 27,000 second-level members wanted to move ahead with the reforms. However, the unions issued a letter to schools on Friday telling members that registering for or engaging with the online CPD would breach a directive in place since last April that bans them from co-operating with any roll-out of junior cycle changes as long as the row continues.